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Post by Roquefort Raider on Apr 24, 2023 7:46:29 GMT -5
Hercules (1958), starring Steve Reeves (who, much to my surprise, also played Herc in a sequel but not in further films).
I had never seen this Italian swords and sandals film, and it was pretty much what I expected. It can't compare to Jason and the Argonauts nor to L'Odissea, but it's good old fashioned cinematic fun full of brawny dudes and pulchritudinous gals.
Three things annoyed me a little. The first is that Hercules' life and adventures could easily provide material for half a dozen films, so I didn't see the need to focus half this one on the quest for the Golden Fleece (an adventure of which Jason is the star, Hercules being a minor character). The second is that classic heroes are thrown pell-mell into the mix, and I was upset by Ulysses showing up. The man shouldn't have been born yet! The third was the way "Iolcus" was pronounced; it sounded like "Jocko" throughout the film. I realize that's because the film was made in Italy and "Jolco" is a proper Italian pronunciation of "Iolcus"... but even if the film is Hercules and not Herakles, the action still occurs in Greece. Since the film was dubbed anyway, the Greek name could have bee used.
A few neat things here and there: the Cretan bull is clearly an American bison, which was pretty funny. The monster that watches over the Golden Fleece bellows like Godzilla (and not imitating the big G either; they just used the Godzilla roar from the original film). The lion that Hercules fight is, depending on the shot, either a tame lion or an empty lion skin that Reeves shakes aroud; still, when the beast closes its eyes in death, the effect is pretty convincing.
I might take a look at the sequel, and perhaps some more films like Samson and Delilah. In the meantime, here's a great theme song from yesteryear!
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Post by tartanphantom on Apr 24, 2023 8:26:35 GMT -5
Hercules (1958), starring Steve Reeves (who, much to my surprise, also played Herc in a sequel but not in further films). I had never seen this Italian swords and sandals film, and it was pretty much what I expected. It can't compare to Jason and the Argonauts nor to L'Odissea, but it's good old fashioned cinematic fun full of brawny dudes and pulchritudinous gals. Three things annoyed me a little. The first is that Hercules' life and adventures could easily provide material for half a dozen films, so I didn't see the need to focus half this one on the quest for the Golden Fleece (an adventure of which Jason is the star, Hercules being a minor character). The second is that classic heroes are thrown pell-mell into the mix, and I was upset by Ulysses showing up. The man shouldn't have been born yet! The third was the way "Iolcus" was pronounced; it sounded like "Jocko" throughout the film. I realize that's because the film was made in Italy and "Jolco" is a proper Italian pronunciation of "Iolcus"... but even if the film is Hercules and not Herakles, the action still occurs in Greece. Since the film was dubbed anyway, the Greek name could have bee used. A few neat things here and there: the Cretan bull is clearly an American bison, which was pretty funny. The monster that watches over the Golden Fleece bellows like Godzilla (and not imitating the big G either; they just used the Godzilla roar from the original film). The lion that Hercules fight is, depending on the shot, either a tame lion or an empty lion skin that Reeves shakes aroud; still, when the beast closes its eyes in death, the effect is pretty convincing. I might take a look at the sequel, and perhaps some more films like Samson and Delilah. In the meantime, here's a great theme song from yesteryear! So you took Dr. Frank N. Furter's advice from Rocky Horror Picture Show and "took in an old Steve Reeves movie"...
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Post by Roquefort Raider on Apr 24, 2023 9:49:38 GMT -5
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 24, 2023 11:16:44 GMT -5
Hercules Unchained is.......not quite Hercules. Let's put it this way, MST3K had a lot of material to work with, when they watched that one.
A lot of the sword & sandal films are pretty much oiled beefy dude punching one another, while slimy villains lust after busty women. Lots of shots of beefcake lying around together, laughing, then the odd woman entering the scene to keep anyone from getting too suspicious. Mostly, they are like a early version of pro wrestling, with a bunch of popular babyfaces laying the smackdown on some dastardly heels. At least, the Italian ones and not the Hollywood productions. Meanwhile, a lot of what was passed off here, as Hercules, was actually Machiste or Ulysses, but Herc had a better brand name.
Some of the gladiator stuff ("Do you like gladiator movies, Timmy?") is pretty fun, especially the Dan Vadis trilogy with the Ten Gladiators (Ten Gladiators, Triumph of the Ten Gladiators, Spartacus and the Ten Gladiators). Definite pro wrestling vibe in those, while the last film has the best heel, Chimbro who is even wearing what looks like a title belt. The top villain, Gianni Rizzo, played heels in all three films, plus dozens of other peplum (costume drama) films.
Reeves did other Italian films, including Giant of Marathon, Morgan the Pirate, Last Days of Pompeii, The Avenger, Sandokan The Great, and a spaghetti western he wrote, called A Long Ride From Hell.
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Post by tartanphantom on Apr 24, 2023 11:37:01 GMT -5
You need to rectify that situation ASAP.
Supreme film "camp" at its campy-est.
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Post by Calidore on Apr 24, 2023 11:50:17 GMT -5
You need to rectify that situation ASAP.
Supreme film "camp" at its campy-est.
Second this. It's so much fun, especially with a group. Do audience-participation midnight shows still happen?
Also, one of the greatest opening credit songs ever IMO.
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Post by Rob Allen on Apr 24, 2023 14:21:08 GMT -5
Now we're watching The Maltese Falcon. She's never seen it before! Maltese Falcon was a hit with her - she wanted to see more movies with Bogart as Sam Spade. Oh well. We followed up with Casablanca. These DVDs were all in a set called "Classic Hollywood Cinema" put together by our public library.
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Post by Rob Allen on Apr 24, 2023 14:26:32 GMT -5
Do audience-participation midnight shows still happen? cstpdx.com/the-rocky-horror-picture-show/ - "The Clinton Street Theater has been showing The Rocky Horror Picture Show weekly since 1978, making it one of the longest running movies in the world! Join us every Saturday night!" Schedule, and prop & costume suggestions at the link.
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 24, 2023 14:30:58 GMT -5
Hercules (1958), starring Steve Reeves (who, much to my surprise, also played Herc in a sequel but not in further films). I had never seen this Italian swords and sandals film, and it was pretty much what I expected. It can't compare to Jason and the Argonauts nor to L'Odissea, but it's good old fashioned cinematic fun full of brawny dudes and pulchritudinous gals. Three things annoyed me a little. The first is that Hercules' life and adventures could easily provide material for half a dozen films, so I didn't see the need to focus half this one on the quest for the Golden Fleece (an adventure of which Jason is the star, Hercules being a minor character). The second is that classic heroes are thrown pell-mell into the mix, and I was upset by Ulysses showing up. The man shouldn't have been born yet! The third was the way "Iolcus" was pronounced; it sounded like "Jocko" throughout the film. I realize that's because the film was made in Italy and "Jolco" is a proper Italian pronunciation of "Iolcus"... but even if the film is Hercules and not Herakles, the action still occurs in Greece. Since the film was dubbed anyway, the Greek name could have bee used. A few neat things here and there: the Cretan bull is clearly an American bison, which was pretty funny. The monster that watches over the Golden Fleece bellows like Godzilla (and not imitating the big G either; they just used the Godzilla roar from the original film). The lion that Hercules fight is, depending on the shot, either a tame lion or an empty lion skin that Reeves shakes aroud; still, when the beast closes its eyes in death, the effect is pretty convincing. I might take a look at the sequel, and perhaps some more films like Samson and Delilah. In the meantime, here's a great theme song from yesteryear! Samson and Delilah is hilarious. Quite possibly the best Bible movie ever made. I love Victor Mature! He is supposed to have said, I’m not an actor! I’m a movie star! And I made 60 movies to prove it! He may not have been much of an actor, but he was a great entertainer!
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Post by Prince Hal on Apr 24, 2023 16:24:34 GMT -5
Now we're watching The Maltese Falcon. She's never seen it before! Maltese Falcon was a hit with her - she wanted to see more movies with Bogart as Sam Spade. Oh well. We followed up with Casablanca. These DVDs were all in a set called "Classic Hollywood Cinema" put together by our public library. Rob, try "The Big Sleep" with Bogey as Philip Marlowe, "Dead Reckoning," in which he doesn't play a private eye per se, but might as well be, as he is an Army vet piecing together a mystery surrounding a former military buddy who has disappeared. Same with "The Enforcer," in which he's a DA trying to solve a case. And if you want to see a great movie in which Bogey essentially spoofs being a detective, try "All Through the Night," a near-perfect movie, part gangster film, part propaganda film, part mystery film, all sheer fun. Bogey plays a gangster, but he's also being patriotic as he uncovers a bunch of Nazi fifth columnists with the help of his Runyonesque crew (William Demarest, Frank McHugh, and Jackie Gleason!). Peter Lorre and Conrad Veidt are along for the ride, via the bus from Casablanca, and there is a crackerjack Rube Goldberg scene set in the cellar of a toy factory that I hope for all concerned was done in one take. There are plenty more excellent Bogart movies, but these are a few in the style of "Maltese Falcon," at least to a point.
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Post by Hoosier X on Apr 24, 2023 20:49:25 GMT -5
Here’s another recommendation for The Big Sleep. I’ve been watching it over and over for close to forty years. I love it!
And don’t obsess about the chauffeur. When he regained consciousness, he drove himself off the pier.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 24, 2023 21:26:45 GMT -5
Maltese Falcon was a hit with her - she wanted to see more movies with Bogart as Sam Spade. Oh well. We followed up with Casablanca. These DVDs were all in a set called "Classic Hollywood Cinema" put together by our public library. Rob, try "The Big Sleep" with Bogey as Philip Marlowe, "Dead Reckoning," in which he doesn't play a private eye per se, but might as well be, as he is an Army vet piecing together a mystery surrounding a former military buddy who has disappeared. Same with "The Enforcer," in which he's a DA trying to solve a case. And if you want to see a great movie in which Bogey essentially spoofs being a detective, try "All Through the Night," a near-perfect movie, part gangster film, part propaganda film, part mystery film, all sheer fun. Bogey plays a gangster, but he's also being patriotic as he uncovers a bunch of Nazi fifth columnists with the help of his Runyonesque crew (William Demarest, Frank McHugh, and Jackie Gleason!). Peter Lorre and Conrad Veidt are along for the ride, via the bus from Casablanca, and there is a crackerjack Rube Goldberg scene set in the cellar of a toy factory that I hope for all concerned was done in one take. There are plenty more excellent Bogart movies, but these are a few in the style of "Maltese Falcon," at least to a point. I was going to mention All Through the Night. Great film! Also second The Big Sleep and would add High Sierra and the Petrified Forest. If she likes Bogey, I also recommend his other classics, like The African Queen and Treasure of the Sierra Madre (both directed by John Huston), plus his films with Lauren Bacall, especially To Have and Have Not and Key Largo. If you are really adventurous, Sahara is an interesting one, as a tank crew face off against superior German numbers, after finding a source of water, in the North African desert. Good tense stuff. Then, there is The Caine Mutiny, with Bogey, Van Johnson and Fred MacMurray, with Jose Ferrer as the lawyer who defends the mutineers. Bogey is amazing as the paranoid and over-stressed captain of a mine sweeper, whose men don't like his strict discipline and lose respect for him for after he abandons a group of landing craft they were supposed to escort in and he orders the ship to turn about and drop a yellow dye marker. He becomes more and more imbalanced, but receives no support from his deparment heads and MacMurray's character keeps pushing Johnson into relieving the captain due to mental instability. It all comes to a head during a typhoon, when Johnson takes command. he and the other officers then face charges of mutiny, afterward and Ferrer defends them, which requires him to break down Bogart. Bogart is really terrific in this, as the mentally unstable Queeg and was nominated for an Oscar (should have won). Ferrer is good, too, and has a great moment at the end where he tells off the officers, especially MacMurray, for being too cowardly to lead and pushing it off on Johnson and failing to aid the captain when he asked the officers for help in turning around the morale and efficiency of the ship. Also a great example of the breakdown of command, in a wartime environment and examples of both good and bad leadership. Beat The Devil is another fun one, with Bogey, Peter Lorre, Gina Lolabrigida and Jennifer Jones. Battle circus is another, depicting a MASH unit, in Korea, long before Hawkeye Pierce. It is a bit more accurate about the operating conditions (so was the MASH movie), than the tv series). There is also Sabrina, with Bogey and Audrey Hepburn and We're No Angels, with Bogey, Aldo Ray and Peter Ustinov, as escaped convicts, who end up helping a store owner and his family, at Christmas time. It inspired the later Neil Jordan film, with Robert DeNiro, Sean Penn and Demi Moore.
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Post by codystarbuck on Apr 24, 2023 21:28:30 GMT -5
ps if she likes the noir stuff, try the James M Cain films: Mildred Pierce, The Postman Always Rings Twice and Double Indemnity
...or for fun, Steve Martin's Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid, where he works opposite clips from the noir classics.
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Post by Prince Hal on Apr 24, 2023 21:41:30 GMT -5
I was sticking to private-eye stuff, or ones that hewed close to the genre, but every film you mentioned in both posts is a keeper.
Along the lines of "Beat the Devil," let me add "Across the Pacific," which reunites Bogey, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet in another genre-bender directed by John Huston and Vincent Sherman, who finished up the picture after Huston left for the service. Sherman had directed "All Through the Night."
Just thought of another Bogey wartime movie,"Passage to Marseille,"in which he is is by turns idealistic, embittered, cynical, courageous, loving and noble and believable throughout.
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Post by tartanphantom on Apr 24, 2023 21:52:05 GMT -5
I was sticking to private-eye stuff, or ones that hewed close to the genre, but every film you mentioned in both posts is a keeper. Along the lines of "Beat the Devil," let me add "Across the Pacific," which reunites Bogey, Mary Astor, and Sydney Greenstreet in another genre-bender directed by John Huston and Vincent Sherman, who finished up the picture after Huston left for the service. Sherman had directed "All Through the Night." Just thought of another Bogey wartime movie,"Passage to Marseille,"in which he is is by turns idealistic, embittered, cynical, courageous, loving and noble and believable throughout.
What, you mention Huston but no love for this one? I think the dynamic between Bogart and Hepburn is surprisingly effective.
And don't get me started on the source material. Forester is one of my favorite authors.
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